Pa Pa Ya opened at the Palladium Mall September last year and created quite a buzz in the city since then. It is rated unusually high on most blogs, and other restaurant guides. And rightfully so! This gem comes through from the house of Jiggs and Zorawar Kalra- enough said 🙂
From a fun decor and cozy seating to impeccable service and great food, Pa Pa Ya does not leave any stone unturned for an overwhelmingly fine time. Warm, extremely polite hostesses get you seated where your server takes you through the menu, options and specials. One of the significant virtues of this place is how well versed the servers are, along with being extremely well spoken. They know the dishes to the core, each and every ingredient and the process of cooking. This is a quality so rare in this country and industry, it will surely floor you!
I started with the Ying Yang ” a vodka based molecular cocktail, with caramelized pineapple, hint of cardamom, topped with Chamomile tea foam” and a Guava-Orange-Togarashi spice mocktail. Amuse bouche was a basil compressed watermelon with chilli foam which was refreshing to start with.
Butayakitori
Tried the sushi matrix (an isometric way to sample the various kinds of sushi including the California Roll, Spicy Tuna, Salmon Nigiri, etc.). For non vegetarian starters we had the crsipy chicken taco (chicken cooked in a Japanese marination and topped with a wasabi salsa), the prawn dimsums in a Thai green curry sauce (Har Gao) and their famous pork belly (chargrilled, marinated in mirin, soy and sichimi) with a side of apple and beetel leaves. For vegetarian starters, we tried the crispy lotus stems tossed in a honey chilli sauce and the edamame/chickpea sliders in lotus flour buns.
Sushi Matrix
Har Gao
This was almost more than enough for us for the evening, but foodies that we are, we could not resist one main course – the peanut crusted Ikan Bakar. And how glad we were that we had pushed ourselves for this one, as this was by far the star of the evening! Malaysian char-grilled red snapper (the very best quality) served with a tomato sambhal, a peanut flavored gravy along with a side of sticky rice. Being a Bengali, it almost felt like home, even though the flavors were foreign. It was comfort food, even though the ingredients were exotic. We could recommend seafood lovers to visit this place just for this one dish alone, if not for anything else. Rocked!
Char-grilled Red Snapper
We were stuffed but had to try their infamous chocolate ball, the video for which has gone so viral on social media! Another gem from the molecular gastronomy, this huge ball of chocolate came stuffed with orange cheese cake, gooey brownies and caramel, chocolate sauce. The ball was poured over by inflamed triple sec making it cave into the stuffing.
Chocolate Ball; Pic Courtesy: Bonnee Gupta
At the end of it, all I would say is go live this experience, at least once. Pa Pa Ya is an affair to remember, something one would linger on for a long time to come. A drink at their bar or an elaborate meal or a quick lunch, every option is worth it. Chef Salil Singh carefully curates your journey for an immemorable experience. And their GM Dennis Wu and his team makes you feel so special, can’t complain!
Address: Palladium, 4th Floor, Lower Parel
Price: INR 2500 for 2
Must Haves: Ying Yang, Har Gao, Peanut crusted Ikan Bakar, Chocolate ball
